Common Women’s Clothing in Colonial

New England

By Anastasiya Bolgova 7A1-ID3

NEW WORLD= NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Ah! Colonial New

England, a land of

freedom and new

possibilities! That means

that the colonists can

dress more freely and

comfortably, right?

WELL… NOT REALLY

THE ACTUAL BEGINNING

S

ince the New England colonies were settled first, they were the first to

experience the hardship which they were not fully ready to face.

Both men and women alike brought either one outfit or two and if their

clothes got ripped or soiled during the first few months, that was too

bad for them. The ships that were sent to England took a long time to

arrive and the costs were very high.

M

ore comfortable clothing could have been worn, but the Puritans and

Separatists were very strict about everything

LAYERS: SHIFTT

his was the first layer in the clothing of the women. This

layer was just a long straight dress with three quarter

sleeves or long sleeves.

T

his was usually made by the woman herself and was the

most washed article of clothing.

T

he shift functioned as an undergarment during the day and a

nightgown during the night.

This article of clothing was unisex and was worn by both

genders.

LAYERS: STAYST

he stays come on next on top of the garment. They can be

referred to as corsets but they are a bit different from corsets.

T

he stay is put in place to correct the posture of the woman

because the posture is as important as the dress of the woman,

if not more.

T

he stays were fastened around the waist, and for common

women it only changed the shape of their body slightly. Unlike

those of the higher class women whose stays choked them and

deformed their bodies.

T

he stays also often had a network of reeds within the fabric.

LAYERS: PETTICOAT(S)

T

he petticoat is an undergarment that is usually worn

in sets of 3 or 4.

T

he petticoats give the skirt that is put on top of them

volume.

T

he petticoat is usually a long skirt with several

ruffles to give it the volume effect.

I

t is usually tied back with a string connected to the

hemline, in the New England colonies.

LAYERS: WAIST COAT

T

he waistcoat was a fitted jacket worn

over the shift.

T

he waistcoat was worn on the top

portion of the body and as the name

suggests it was fitted or tied back at

the waist

A

lthough the waistcoat gave hardly

any support like the stay did it was

often used to accentuate the waist,

for it was one of the most noted

features in a proper lady.

✓

LAYERS: SKIRT

T

he skirt was, well a skirt, it was an

outer garment and one of the

outermost layers in women's clothing.

T

he skirt was worn over the petticoats

and with the help of the petticoats it

appeared to have volume.

T

he skirt was floor length but was

ankle length for young girls because

they tend to run around more and it

was a sign of age and status

AH! The HORROR! Our ankles AND our knees will show!

LAYERS: GOWN

T

he gown also defines itself. It was just a gown

worn over the multiple petticoats and the

shift.

L

ike the skirt, the gown was floor length for

grown women, but ankle length for girls.

T

he gowns often showed your social class even

in – gasp!- The Puritan and Separatist

communities.

T

he apron was worn over the

waistcoat and skirt or the gown to

keep it clean.

T

he apron reached the floor like the

dress and it went up to the bust.

T

he apron was also amongst one of

the most washed articles of

clothing in colonial America.

LAYERS: APRON AND COIF

T

he coif was a hat worn by women

at all times.

T

he coif represented that the

women fear god and respect him.

T

he coif also showed the class of a

woman depending on how large it

was.

TWO SETS OF CLOTHING

T

he common colonial woman living in New England had to own at

least two different outfits.

O

ne of these outfits could be a normal, housework, everyday kind of

outfit that was easier to move around in and do housework.

T

he second outfit had to be a bit more elaborate, but still simplistic, it

was used for “Sabbath day”, or rather Sunday as we refer to it in

modern day.

Every Day

Sabbath Day

WOW! They look so… bored.

MATERIALS USED

T

he materials used included wool for warmth, beaver and deer

fur/skin for warmth durability and beaver skin was waterproof, and

flax for linen. The Northern colonies could not grow cotton because

of the cold temperatures.

Spare Me!

WOOL

Flax-Linen

NO COTTON!

Deer

Beaver

Hey! My fur isn't really waterproof, its wet, you don’t want my fur.

NOW ITS TIME FOR SEWING!!!!!

ProjectRunway time? YAY!

OMG! I love this show! Everything is so PRETTY!

SEWING IN THE COLONIES

B

ecause of expensive costs of buying clothing many colonists had to make their own clothing.

Either that or they could (later on in time) go to someone and get it custom made for them.

M

ajority of the colonist population knew how to sew and sewed, even the men.

D

uring the winter, because of the cold weather, men would sit and help the women, in this

case sew.

T

he colonists had to know several sewing techniques and to survive, they were required to

learn them.

A

side the fact that they had to know how to sew, they also had to know how to take wool and

linen and make them into cloth.

CLOTH MAKING

T

he making of the clothing all started out with natural resources, its not like

there were yards of colorful cloth growing from bushes!These along with the cloth plants DO NOT EXIST!!!

There were many steps to cultivating and preparing the clothing, it was a long and tiring procedure.

The wool had to be sheared off the sheep, sorted, carded (a process in which you use two brushes to smooth separate and soften the wool), then you could twist it into strands of thread. After all of this is done you can use your loom to weave your clothing out of wool.

The linen was a whole different story. First the Flax seeds had to be grown and cultivated. Next the fiber had to be removed from the plant. Once removed the fiber was stretched and soon twisted into thread. That thread soon was used to make cloth and the cloth to clothing.

Fur and skins was also a very different procedure. At first the colonists got the furs from Native Americans, but they soon learned how to trap and tan furs and skins. First, the anima had to be caught. Then, the skin was stripped off of the meat. Next, you stake the fur to the ground. From here on the procedures for the skin and furs are different.

Continuing from the previous slide, now you

take a dull stone and scrape off the hairs on

the outer side.

After that is done, you take the brains of your

catch, boil them until they are hot and rub the

brain both onto the hide, then you leave it to

dry in the sun for 6-8 hours.

Then, after the drying time is done you need to

soak it all in water.

After that is done stretch your hide some more

to make sure it isn't stiff, and then leave it to

dry.

The final step is to soak it all in a boiling pot of

water to make sure that everything is soft and

nice.

T

o create furs, continuing from the previous slide, you need

to pin the skin down and scrape off any excess skin on the

inner side.

T

hen, you need to boil the brains of your catch, and when the

broth is hot you can rub it all over the inner side of the skin.

T

hen, you need to let the fur hang dry for 6-8 hours.

W

hen t is ready, you follow the procedure similar to the one in

creating leather, you then soak and wash it.

N

ext, you stretch your hide in all the places and then you

hang it in the sunlight to dry.

T

he last step is to boil your fur in water and let it dry.

SKINS & FURS

Skins (leather) FursSkins and furs were mostly used to create outerwear that could be worn in the winter

COLOR

E

ven though we are talking about the strict northern colonies, bright colors

dominated in England AND the Northern Colonies.

D

on’t let the toned down colors in the VERY OLD paintings fool you the

colonial women had colorful dresses for special occasions (if

they could afford to buy or make another garment of

course).

The clothing that these women are wearing is very colorful and detailed, but this fashion was worn more in the summer season with an undergarment under them.

Yay Boston, Hurray Plymouth Baaa!

I

n the puritan settlement of Massachusetts it was illegal to wear or purchase any

garment with gold, silver, lace, or silk on it.

I

n the colonies of Plymouth and Boston, laws were proclaimed protecting sheep

because in these cold northern Colonies the weather was very cold and harsh. While

the sheep wool was a good

source of warm clothing.

S

ome places in the puritan settlements banned buttons

b

ecause they thought buttons were too fancy and mainstream.

STRANGE LAWS

TR

EN

D

FO

LL

OW

ER

S

Being good and respectful of their nation the

colonists tried to model their clothing to match

those of the English royals at that time. Even thought they had some

different opinions about the decorations on the clothing, they adored the overall fashion and style of these clothes

Kate Mi… Oh wait, wrong time period

Presenting Queen Anne. (although the neckline is highly puritan disapproved)

The colonial dress had many layers. This was both good and bad.

GOOD BAD

It was always cold in the northern colonies so the multiple layers provided warmth

The layers of clothing makes it appear as if the woman is well fed so she must be from a wealthy family

They were entrapped in their uncomfortable layers of clothing.

It was very hard to move around in several outfits.

Reminded you of a cabbage, because of the concept of this dressing

I’m stylish. You’re the cabbage!

Ha Ha! You look like a cabbage!

Images:http://cameciob.hubpages.com/hub/Funny-and-peculiar-things-about-corsets-hoops-and-other-clothes-from-grandmas-closethttp://kswpgoodfriends.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/birds-singing.jpghttp://templatespsd.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Happy-Nature.jpghttp://images.quickblogcast.com/100979-93677/smiley_shy.gifhttp://ushistoryimages.com/images/colonial-dress/fullsize/colonial-dress-4.jpghttp://www.handsonhistoryinc.org/images/lwf1.tifcolonialWoman2.jpghttp://www.badgeplanet.co.uk/badges_large/smiling-face-1.jpghttp://rlv.zcache.com/happy_sheep_postcard-p239944494046403004td81_210.jpghttp://chaosmultimedia.com/pandemic/blog/blog_fashion_files/page1_blog_entry14_1.jpghttp://p2.cf.mdi.m3cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/47c5Kate20Middleton20Prince20William2011Nov.jpghttp://www.webhistoryofengland.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Anniex.jpghttp://wikihistoria.wikispaces.com/file/view/purtian_pic_2.jpghttp://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/32711.jpg?zm=250,250,1,0,0http://rlv.zcache.com/happy_cabbage_vegetable_smiling_postcard-p239100042623866240z7knw_152.jpghttp://www.historic-costume.com/sitebuilder/images/front9-355x600.jpghttp://www.ssdsbergen.org/Colonial/clothing%202.jpghttp://origin.kaboodle.com/hi/img/c/0/0/136/1/AAAADAgBdR0AAAAAATYa9A.jpg?v=1299618938000 http://www.shoppingblog.com/pics/project_runway_logo.jpghttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fep_qJUnGEU/TqsCWowf4rI/AAAAAAAAI5Q/pcpJ8ctd8h0/s1600/Anya%2BProject%2BRunway%2Bwinner%2Bseason%2B9.jpghttp://www-tvline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ProjectRunway_Final4_300111027192555.jpghttp://cdn.mamapop.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/pr9_ep13_anya6.jpghttp://www.cotton-bales.com/Bales%20of%20Cotton.jpghttp://www.classactfabrics.com/newsletters/Alverna%20L,%20flax%20stems,%20line,%20thread.jpghttp://kompexport.com/images/Wool.www.usda.gov.jpghttp://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/graphics/whitetaileddeer1sm.jpg

Images:http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/004/cache/beaver_457_600x450.jpghttp://heritagecostumes.com/images/products/3495.jpghttp://www.profitableplants.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/MoneyTree.jpghttp://www.franksfurs.com/ProductImages/furcoats/LongFur07a.jpghttp://www.reenactmentcostumes.com/images/3.jpghttp://www.datazap.net/sites/uniquehandmadeitems/aprons/100_1781.jpghttp://www.bridgemanit.com/artman/uploads/dress.jpghttp://www.history.org/history/clothing/women/images/shift1.jpghttp://www.fashionjour.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/top_20five_20luella_20style_20floral_20skirts.jpghttp://img2.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.245255238.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3164/2615193708_63eaf76051.jpg:Research http://www.alpharubicon.com/primitive/tanningdragoona.htmhttp://www.handsonhistoryinc.org/HOH-Page12.htmlhttp://library.thinkquest.org/C004179/wool.htmhttp://www.18cnewenglandlife.org/18cnel/Gowns.htmhttp://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/what-wearhttp://library.thinkquest.org/J002611F/clothing.htmhttp://www.localhistories.org/colonial.htmlhttp://web.ccsd.k12.wy.us/techcurr/social%20studies/05/0101pilcloth.htmlhttp://www.18cnewenglandlife.org/ 

BooksYour Travel Guide to Colonial America BY: Nancy DayColonial Clothes BY: Verna FisherColonial American home life BY: John F. Warner

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